The CW Debuts New Clip For ‘Black Lightning’

The series premiere of ‘Black Lightning’ is set to air Tuesday, January 16 at 9 p.m., following an all-new episode of ‘The Flash, and is titled ‘The Resurrection.’ Here is an official synopsis of the episode:

Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) is a man wrestling with a secret. As the father of Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (China Ann McClain), and principal of a charter high school that also serves as a safe-haven for young people in a neighborhood overrun by gang violence, he is a hero in his community. Nine years ago, Pierce was a hero of a different sort. Gifted with the superhuman power to harness and control electricity, he used those powers to keep his hometown streets safe as the masked vigilante Black Lightning, but he left the Superhero days behind. Almost a decade later, Pierce’s crime-fighting days are long behind him… or so he thought. Christine Adams, James Remar, Damon Gupton and Marvin Jones III also star.

The episode was written and directed by Salim Akil. Based on the characters from DC, ‘Black Lightning’ was created by Berlanti Productions and Akil Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti, Salim Akil & Mara Brock Akil, and Sarah Schechter. The ‘Black Lightning’ character was created by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden.

Cress Williams stars as the titular superhero, whose origin story will be alluded to in flashbacks but won’t be the primary focus of the show. Fans will be fully immersed in the world of his alter ego, Jefferson Pierce, a private school principal who’s chosen to try to save lives before they’re in imminent danger. This is similar to the character’s comics backstory, but instead of finally unleashing his powers when his city is affected by crime, Jefferson dons the Black Lightning uniform once more to combat threats both old and new.